If you can confirm the car's pedigree (clean Carfax, service record [if any], an ownership history that makes sense), that sounds like an incredibly good deal on a top-of-the-line model. But my nose is twitching: who sells a less than 1 yr old car with 6K miles that cheaply unless it was a dealer owner's own car-- or it was in an accident.

Curious-- see post #163. He was also looking at an '04 with 6k miles (for $50,000), and it turned out to be the victim of an accident. Deja vu all over again?

Lexus of Rockville (Maryland). If you want any other info, see my email address in my profile, send me a message and I will be happy to respond. Your email address is not in your profile so I can't email you!

#197: "My MSRP is from California, even on the website. I note the price is lower in other markets."

It took me a while, but I finally figured out the difference is that in the East the Custom Luxury Package comes with "polished-finish alloy" wheels, and in the West it comes with "Lexus Chrome" wheels. Boy, $1,700 is a lot of money for a shinier wheel! I would guess that Lexus makes a pretty profit on this off of you folks in California...

To me, it makes it even harder to justify the added value of the Custom package over the Modern package. For the $4,755 difference in California, you get the Laser Cruise Control and a bunch of mostly cosmetic upgrades.

MSRP pricing will vary by zone. For example, use the Lexus web site and input zip codes for, LA, Dallas and Miami. Add a grand for the smart key in Dallas since the basic car has this feature and LA doesn't require it.

Most members in this discussion are more familiar with purchasing a new vehicle - you might stop by our Real-World Trade-in Values discussion and post the details about this car (including location!) and see if Terry can tell you whether it's a good deal or not.

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I need some advice... I am considering buying a 1992 LS 400 with 235,000 miles on it...Highway miles from LA to bAkersfield for 7 or 8 years...all dealer services, seems tight, no leaks,garaged,no rust or dents, synthetic oil every 3000 to 5000...he wants around $3000, may go less, it needs a service, last major service & timing belt changed 60,000-70,000 miles ago, all power, everything works...kbb trade in value is 3400, 4800pp... any advice, ideas or things to watch for?? Too many miles?? Thanks, Kersten

I had a 1991 ls400. sold it at 220,000 miles last year. a very good car but if a part breaks you are looking at a very expensive repair bill. a power steering pump is around 1300. My A/C stopped working at around 160,000. to repair it was bet 1500 and 4000, i didnt bother. if you know an independent mechanic who repairs lexuses you'll save a lot of money. a brake job at the dealership costs around $400, but my local mechanic did it for $200 (same toyota parts). if you plan on doing your servicing at the dealership you will be shocked at how much maintenance can be on a high mileage lexus.

I would like to get the opinion of this forum on tire size for the Lexus LS430. More than any other car, this car&#146;s reputation was built on its quiet interior and smooth ride. Yet, at least in California, Lexus is shipping most of the LS430 with 18&#148; tires instead of the standard 17&#148;. I do not have problem with Lexus offering optional tire sizes but to ship the larger rim size, as standard makes no sense given the significant negative impact on ride quality. We test drove a LS430 this weekend and found the ride and interior noise worse than our Toyota Avalon . not what we expected.

What is the opinion on Lexus's Pre-Collision Safety System? According to the salesmen, most people do not purchase this option. He indicated that the system only works if the cruise control in on and is of no use driving around town.

The 18" is likely for performance issues..Remember this is a very fast car..You'll see that the speed limit quickly passes as you drive on the highway..

What tires did the car have? My '05 came with Dunlop SP Sport 5000's which are classified as Ultra High Performance All Season's..Basically this tire is biased towards performance driving. I had a '98 LS with those tires and was not impressed. I personally think the Bridgestone Turanza is a much better tire. The car is on snow tires at the moment so I haven't had a chance to evaluate it yet.

My old '02 LS had some similar performance tire and the ride was noisy and bumpy as you described. Perhaps you can talk the dealer into fitting 17" wheels instead? I'm sure they have plenty of those around.

As for the Pre Collision, I passed on that..I didn't see the point of it as the car already gets the highest crash ratings out there..I've taken a pretty hard impact in my 1992 LS400 without a scratch. These cars are quite solid, so don't feel as if you are compromising your safety should you not choose to buy it.

IMHO, the Modern gives the most bang for the buck. In the Custom, the pre-collision is a safety feature and doesn't improve the driving experience at all. The radar function only is relevant at all for highway cruising. First question is, how much highway driving do you do? Second, do you trust it more than you trust yourself?

The Ultra package adds benefits mostly for rear seat passengers. If I were being driven by a chauffeur and sitting in the back seat, I would go for it. But on the other hand, if I was looking for a limousine, I wouldn't pick an LS as my car!

That leaves either a base model or a Modern. But why spend this much for a car and not get the features that will be standard in even midrange cars within a few years-- before you're ready to trade in your LS? The Modern gives you the options that really matter and add a fun factor to the driving experience.

But all this is really a value analysis. If value is truly not an issue, the more toys the better-- so go for the Ultra, or the Custom, or the Modern, or the base model, whichever you can afford.

I will add my 2 cents to the dilemma, bought an 04 with Custom after debating the Modern for several months. Have ended up appreciating the difference for the self-closing doors, headlight washers personally. Kids had left doors open twice with my old GS that killed battery, now I don't worry. Dirt & grime off roads come right off with the washers, very handy with the melting snow and rain up here in the MidWest.

I've got the laser cruise and do a fair amount of interstate toll road to O'Hare and its great on the open road. I shut it down when in Chicago traffic, too much on & off throttle due to the dangerous cutting in of traffic.

I got a good deal on my car so the difference was much less than MSRP on the option package making it worth my while to upgrade. Fully agree with you about Ultra - couldn't see spending the extra just so kids could play, even though I have heard good things about the suspension.

We bought a new '05 LS430 with the Modern Package because heated seats is something I have lived with for 16 years and still want in a car. DVD Navi wasn't necessary for finding my way to work, Target, and grocery store, nor are the expen$ive updates for it. The Modern Pkge is "enough" for us. This is still a nicer car than the '98 Avalon we had. :-D

OT as far as which package to buy: Considering the current thread of discussion on the basic Lexus LS forum, I'm glad I dug my heels in, got a car with 17" tires, and avoided the 18" like my research told me to.

Hi all. first i thank all the posters. This board is very helpful to me. I hope to lease a lexus ls 430 in the end of may and will do so if i can find a good dealer somewhere who will price near invoice and get me 17 in tires. I gather lexus of rockville is a good place. I am interested in hearing from others who are considering buying in my time frame. maybe we can combine forces and get a good deal.

Just purchased a '05 LS430, Modern Lux. Pkg., smart key, preferred accessory (mats, nets and locks etc.) and 18" wheels. MSRP 62,734 - paid $55,422 plus TTL. Very good experience with Lexus of Cerritos. This is a fantastic car!! I can see why people are having problems with the 18" tires. However, coming from a German car, the 18" tires do not bother me all that much. It would be nice to have 17" "stock" with decent rubber to find out what a true luxury ride is all about.

Unfortunately I'm in an area (East) with only one dealer. They might knock off 3K on a modern. I would definitely buy at that price. I've looked at different cars from Acura RL to Avalon and the 430 meets most of my needs. I would like that dynamic cruise though. Haven't driven the 18 inchers.

Around here the dealer wants $41.9K for an 2001 Modern Lux if you can believe that. The only new LS430s sold here with 17" wheels are the base models.